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Member
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 214
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Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 214
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The chapter in that book talks specifically about his clinic treating people with brain injuries, so I'm pretty sure that he has used it for treating brain injuries, not sure about the legality of it. I've had some email correspondence with him (or someone else at his clinic more likely), and he said that they have seen "consistently good to excellent" results treating post-concussion patients (of course they'd say that, but it at least suggests they see a lot of PCS patients). The book discusses how they use both trans-cranial LLLT, as well as shining the laser on the back of the neck, which they think provides benefit to more than just the neck by somehow "boosting" cerebral-spinal fluid (at least that's their working hypothesis). I'd have to re-read to get the specifics, but it was something along those lines.
Given that I live 4 hours away, he suggested I come in for a week-10 days of daily treatment with the lasers they have there, and then they'd send me back with a unit I'd rent that I use daily. I haven't decided yet if I want to pursue this, but might be able to stay in Toronto for a week between semesters. This daily use unit sounds similar to what a couple of TBI patients in a case study of LLLT used.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3065857/
Apparently it improved their cognitive symptoms, but if they discontinued use they would regress. Not sure if this is what's seen in all cases.
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26 year-old PhD student in evolutionary biology, slipped on ice in Feb 2014 while clipping my fingernails and walking to save time (dumbest reason for PCS ever?). Initially just had headaches and didn't feel quite right, but a minor head bump 5 days later started a downward spiral of anxiety, depression, insomnia and fatigue. Had trouble concentrating on reading/looking at screens
April 2014 - did exertion test, passed, started exercising and doing more, but didn't feel much better.
May 2014 - Went on backpacking trip OK'd by doctor, trip itself went fine, but felt worse a few days after getting back, more difficulty concentrating, worse headaches.
June 2014 - Bumped head on ceiling walking slowly down stairs, no immediate symptoms, but caused worsening headahces, more difficulty concentrating and looking at screens. Have not felt as good as I did before this since this bump.
December 2014 - after feeling relatively better I went xc skiing and fell but didn't hit my head (something my psychologist who specializes in brain injuries told me he hoped would happen so I saw it was OK), felt worse
Feb 2015 - back in grad school, light teaching load and some research, nowhere close to operating at my full capacity. Still have constant headaches, difficulty reading/looking at screens, mild anxiety and depression, and just not feeling like my normal sharp self.
Trying, but struggling, to believe that I'll get back to my old self, or at least get close.
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